• 2025-10-02

Statement of the Multisectoral Working Group for Monitoring the Implementation of the Reform Agenda of the Republic of Serbia

National Convention on the European Union (NCEU)

Representatives of the National Convention on the European Union (NCEU) took part in the inaugural meeting of the Monitoring Committee for the Reform and Growth Facility, a joint mechanism of the European Union and the Government of Serbia. Through this instrument, Serbia could receive around €1.6 billion in grants and concessional loans by the end of 2027 – but only on the basis of implemented and verified reforms set out in the Reform Agenda.

Following months of dialogue with the European Commission on the NCEU’s role in this process – during which it was initially foreseen only as an observer without voting rights – the Convention insisted that its participation be conditional on: transparency of the Committee’s work and deliberations, voting rights in decision-making, and the right to record dissenting opinions in cases where civil society views diverge from those of the EU and the Government of Serbia.

To support this, the NCEU established a Multisectoral Working Group to systematically track the implementation of the Reform Agenda and exercise social oversight of the process. Civil society organisations in the group will ensure objective public reporting on both achievements and shortcomings in reform implementation – affirming the citizens’ right to know what is being framed as reform and under what conditions EU funds are being spent.

At the Committee’s first session, progress was reviewed in five Reform Agenda priority areas: business environment and private sector development; the green transition; the digital transition; human capital; and the rule of law and fundamental rights. NCEU representatives delivered oral comments on the reports of government representatives, drawing particular attention to the worrying practice of using the Reform Agenda as a justification for regulatory changes that in fact move Serbia further from EU membership. They cited, as an example, ongoing amendments to criminal legislation which – alongside changes required by the Reform Agenda – also introduce numerous provisions that civil society organisations consider to significantly undermine existing human rights protections in Serbia. They stressed that reforms must be genuine and oriented towards real alignment with EU standards.

By participating in this mechanism, the NCEU will help ensure that the European Commission’s reform assessments are transparent and accessible to the public. In light of Serbia’s deep institutional and societal crisis, it is particularly important that citizens receive clear and accurate information about the conditions under which EU funds are allocated. In this context, Convention representatives once again underlined the importance of transparent Committee proceedings, as well as the need for civil society to be able to comment on all government reports on the Reform Agenda before they are reviewed by the European Commission.

The Monitoring Committee will meet at least once a year, while the Convention’s Multisectoral Working Group will continuously monitor all relevant reform activities and keep the public regularly informed of its findings and recommendations.

At the same time, the NCEU emphasises that its participation in this mechanism does not in any way signal a return to other processes managed by political actors in Serbia. The Convention will continue to refrain from joining governmental bodies and mechanisms where it determines that conditions for due process, transparency, and meaningful influence on decisions and outcomes are lacking.

Source: NCEU